2019 Summer Trip to Asia
August 22, 2019 -- Yangmingshan, Taipei
Our host and hostess graciously taking us on a day trip to Yangmingshan on this day. Instead of going to the very popular Yangmingshan National Park, we visited other less visited sites which turned out to be quite enjoyable and educational.
From Xindian to Yangmingshan we had to drive through the city of Taipei from south to north. A long drive through traffic but for us it was quite enjoyable. As the car winding up the narrow and hilly roads up Yangmingshan, the views took a drastic change, from sky reaching high rises to white washed villas making this an interesting city to be explored.
When we reached the main gate of Chungshan Hall, we discovered that it was not going to be opened until a certain time. It was almost lunch time anyway, so we went to the nearby village and found an eatery that specializes in taro cuisines. Apparently, taro is a famous product in this area and many visitors come here for these taro dishes.
Deep-fried Taro Cake
Stinky Tofu
Taro Rice Noodle
Radish Rice Cake
Rice Sausage
Yam in Sweet Ginger Soup as dessert.
All in all, quite interesting.
Seeing that we still had time, we just took a little walk around the nearby Yang Ming Lake and Qianshan Park.
Qianshan Park
Public Hot Spring Bath by the lake.
Chungshan Hall
I have seen Chungshan Hall on TV many times in the past but never had a chance to visit it in person. Chungshan Hall held an important place in the history of Taiwan and Republic of China. It used to be a meeting hall for the National Assembly where the top officials and assembly representatives gathered for making important decisions of this country. Now that the National Assembly do not exist any longer, Chungshan Hall became neglected and basically abandoned. They do provide guided tours for a minimal charge to the few visitors that would be interested in learning about the history.
Beautiful Chungshan Hall.
Statue of President Chiang Kai-Shek as we entered the main hall.
Assembly Hall
It was almost like a private tour with us being the only visitors.
The docent was very friendly and thorough. She took us to all the rooms and exhibits that were opened to the public.
Dining room
Looking out from the balcony at the top of the hall. It is important to note that the Hall was built in a carefully chosen location with the best Fung Shui in mind.
The city of Taipei right under the feet of the Hall.
"Chungshan Hall"
Our host and one of MOR's best friends.
I think this was the President's office when they were meeting here.
Many different meeting and sitting rooms.
History of the Hall.
As we were leaving we noticed that the Hall was built on top of the active sulfur springs which the docent had told us about.
Erziping Park and Trails
Our host thought it would be good to take a little hike while we were here so she drove us over to the Erziping Visitor Center near Datun Nature Park where we entered the hiking trail from the parking lot. MOR and I did not know where we were going but gladly followed them since they have been here many times.
Easy, flat walk on this hike.
After walking for about 30 minutes we reached the park with a pond.
Absolutely beautiful!
Tranquil!
I did not expect this while walking on the trail.
With Datun Nature Park being nearby, we drove a short distance and arrived at this huge park. This time we only stopped briefly to have a view from the top. I believe there are hiking trails here also but we had enough for the day. As it was getting a little late, there were plenty of mosquitoes also so we got out of there quickly.
Some blooming wild ginger flowers.
We also made a couple of stops as we were driving down just to look at the beautiful scenery.
Dinner was at a farm-like restaurant near the bottom of the mountain which I have no idea what the name of the place is. A good dinner though, I suspect because we were hungry.
A gorgeous view of Taipei to end our day.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." -- John 14:1